Booklet having attached thereto a writing pad for receiving temporary images



2,879,609 PAD D. H. wA'rKlNs NG March 31, 1959 BOOKLET HAVI ATTACHED THERETO A WRITING FOR RECEIVING TEMPORARY IMAGES Filed INVENTOR. Wl'f mm BY @mM/@M #Wd/ms@ Dec. 23, 1953 United ttes PatentA BOOKLET HAVING ATTACHED THERETO A WRITING PAD FOR RECEIVING TEMP()- RARY IMAGES Daniel H. Watkins, Aurora, Ill., assigner, by mesne assignments, to The Watkins-Strathmore Company, Aurora, Ill., a corporation of Maryland Application December 23, 1953, Serial No. 399,960 3 Claims. (Cl. 35-62) This invention relates to educational and amusement devices wherein a writing pad of the type adapted to receive temporary writing and drawing images made thereon by a non-mark-depositing stylus is combined with a book for utilization therewith. The invention relates particularly to the means for attaching or hinging such a pad to the outer edge of one of the covers of the book so that the pad may be folded into the book, and with the hinging or attaching means providing a sheath or socket for the stylus which is used to make impressions on the pad.

Pads of the type which receive temporary written matter or drawings by means of a non-mark depositing stylus are described for example, in Deutsch Patent No. 1,555,- 642 dated September 29, 1925, and in Paasche Patent No. 2,074,855 dated March 23, 1937. These patents disclose writing pads of the type comprising a backing member, the upper surface of which is coated with a pressure-sensitive or impressionable material, usually of a waxy nature, and having a sheet of translucent or diaphanous tilm covering the backing member and bound thereto along one edge. The coating on the backing member is black or dark-colored, while the impressionable iilm is light-colored, preferably white, and is semitransparent or translucent. The translucent film is pliable and of such a nature that if a smooth pointed or rounded instrument, such as a wooden stylus, is pressed or moved over the top of the film, the film will be caused to adhere to the impressionable pressure-sensitive coating on the backing member along the pressure lines with the result that the dark color shows through the iilm and appears as a dark-colored line.

An improved construction is obtained by making the translucent film very thin and pliable and protecting it with a transparent protective sheet formed 'of a tough and heavier film. The protective sheet is laid on top of the thin translucent film and the two are bound to the backing member along one edge of the pad. The writing pad shown in Patents Nos. 1,555,642 and 2,074,- 855 have such transparent protective top sheets. Evans Patent No. 1,455,579 dated May 15, 1923, discloses a writing pad of this general type which does not llave such a transparent top protective film or sheet but instead has only the thin translucent, light-colored sheet lying over the coating on the backing member.

After one of these pads of the type described has been written or drawn on, the written matter ordrawing may be caused to disappear by separating the thin translucent film or sheet from the waxy coating on the backing member. The writing surface of the pad is cleared in this manner and is then ready to be written or drawn on again.

The object of the present invention is an educational and amusement device comprising a book, preferably a paper-covered booklet, having attached to the outer edge of one of the covers thereof a pad for receiving temporary written or drawing material of the type described above, the means for attaching the pad to the book cover being such that the pad may be folded into the book and providing a tubular sheath which projects along the edge of the book when the same is closed for retaining a stylus for use in writing on the pad and in tracing from pages of the book.

ICC

Fig. 3 is atop' perspective view of the device showing. all of the pages of the booklet turned over onto the front cover and showing the writing pad turned over onto the back cover of the booklet;

Fig. 4 is a top perspective view, partly broken away,

showing the manner in which one of the pages of the bookis inserted in the pad for tracing thereon; and

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view on enlarged scale taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

An educational and amusement device is indicated generally at 5 in Fig. 1 which forms one embodiment of the invention. The device 5 comprises a paper-covered booklet indicated generally at 6 in Fig. 2 and a pad indicated generally at 7 of the type described above which receives temporary writteny or drawing matter and which may be made in accordance with the principles of the above mentioned patents. The book 6 comprises a piece of relatively heavy paper which forms the front cover 8 and back cover 10, and which is creased at the middle so as to fold over on opposite sides of the pages which are indicated at 11-11. The pages are bound into the book covers by means of wire staples 1,2-12, it being under' stood that any other suitable form of binding may be used. The printed content on the pages 11 of the book 6 may, of course, be of any desired nature. Since this type of device is primarily of interest to children who are at least old enough to read and write and draw fairly well, the subject matter of the booklets will usually be 4addressed to that age group. One such booklet 6 is already being produced and sold wherein the theme or subject matter is secret codes. The disappearing character of the written material'and drawings on the pad 7 lends itself particularly well to this theme. The printed material on some of the pages 11 may be such that it is suitable for tracing on the pad 7 as will be more fully explained below. One or more of the pages of the book may be transparent.

The writing pad 7 is hinged to the outer end of the back cover 10 in the particular device shown in the drawing, but it will be understood that it couldalternately be attached to the outer edge of the front cover 8. If desired, two writing pads could be used with each one being attached to an outer edge of one cover. The pad 7 comprises a paperboard or cardboard backing member 13 having a dark-colored waxy coating 14 on the top surface thereof which is pressure-sensitive or impressionable. An impression sheet 15 lies overthe surface coating 14. This impression sheet 15 is a light-colored, translucent or semi-opaque film which is relatively pliable. For example, a lightly pigmented lilm of rubber hydrochloride film (eg. Pliofilm) serves very well for this purpose although it will beunderstood that other films of a similar nature may also be used.

As mentioned above, it is usually desirable to use a iilm for the sheet 15 which is relatively pliable and soft, which is thin and which does not take a permanent set once pressure is applied along a particular line. Although such films may be used without a protective sheet and give satisfactory service, it is usually desirable todprotect 2,879,609 i Patented Mar. 31, 1959 material. suclras cellophane...or celluloseiacetate.. rSuch,

a lm or sheet 16 may he somewhat heavier and stiier than the underlying sheet so long as pressure can be transmitted therethrough. alongflines to the underlying tilm 15 and to the impressionable coating 14.

The protective transparent film-.or sheet .16 not only serves to protect the light-.coloredlm or sheet 15 but also when one of the pages of the book 6 is inserted between the sheets 16 and 15 as` described below, the hlm 16 serves to protect the page ofthe book.

Corresponding edges or margins of the sheets or lms 15 and 16 are bound to one edge of the backing member 13 by means of apiece of web:material 17 which. may be formed of cloth, paper, plastic, or any other suitable binding material.. A suitable .material is kraftk paper printed with an over-all surface finish resembling artificial leather, for example. The binding material 17 comprises two elongated strip portions 18 and 19 which are interconnected by a loop or folded intermediate portion 20.

Preferably, the intermediate portion 20 is shorter than f the rectangular end portions 18 and 19. The intermediate loop portion 20 serves as a tubular sheath for a wooden or plastic stylus 22 which is provided for use in connection with the pad 7. By having the sheath 20 shorter than the elongated end portions 18 and 19, the stylus 22 can be long enough to project from opposite ends of this loop or sheath so that it may be easily reached and yet the length of the stylus can be less than the width of the book 6 or the pad 7.

The web material 17 may be stitched through both of the elongated portions 18 and 19 and the intermediate thicknesses of the backing member 13 and the overlying sheets or tilms 15 and 16 as indicated at 23 in Figs. 2 and 5. If desired, any other form of binding arrangement may be used, such as metal staples, or adhesive.

The bound edge of the pad 7 which carries the stylus 22 may be hinged to the outer end ofy the back cover 10 of the book 6 by means of a piece of flexible material 24. The piece of material 24, which serves as a hinge between the pad 7 and the cover 10 of the book 6, may be identical with (he. the same` size, shape and material) the piece of binding material 17, thereby minimizing production costs. One of the elongated end portions of this piece of material will be secured,` by adhesive, stitching or otherwise, to the outer surface of the elongated end portion 19 while the opposite elongatedportion of the piece of material 24 which'is indicated at 26 will be adhesively, or otherwiseysecuredto the outer edge of the back cover 10. The intermediateportion between the end portions 25 and-26 serves as an interconnecting hinge.

Preferably, the cover of the booklet 6to which the pad 7 is' hinged has an extension 27 formed on the outer end thereof around which the lhinged material folds or turns when the pad 7 is folded into the book 6. While this projection or endvportion 27 is not essential, it does serve a desirable and useful purpose in supporting the sheath 20 and reinforcing the hinge.

In Fig. 3 the relationship of the parts are shown when the pad 7 is folded over the back cover 10 of the book 6. If it is desired to trace from one of the pages 11 of the book 6, then that page which is indicated at 11a in Fig. 4 is inserted between the plastic films or sheets 15 and 16 as illustrated in Fig. 4. As mentioned above, one of the pages of the book, such .as page 11a, may be formed of a transparent material s'o that'the image created on'the film or sheet 15 may be viewed as the tracing progresses without removing the page 11a.

It is important to provide for the presence of the stylus 22. While ordinary lead pencils or pens may be used, they will deposit markings even on the smooth nonabsorbent` surface ofthe protective hlm 16. For best results a pointed wooden stylus with. a smooth rounded point is. used. .By adjusting the-sizeof the fold 20 to the sizegof. the stylus 22, a; snug'ilit can be obtained so thatthe stylusawilllanotvfall.'outbutcanbe inserted and re'- moved lwithoutdifficulty.

The. arrangement shown and. described in connection with the drawings is particularly advantageous from the functional standpoint as well as from the cost standpoint. In addition, when the device is completely closed as shown-in Fig. lV and the pad 7 does not show, the presence of the stylus 22 showing on the end of the device, as in Fig. 1, arouses the observers curiosity and interest in the device.

It will be apparent that certain minor changes may be made in the foregoing construction described above and shownl in the accompanying drawings. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

l. An educational and amusementdevice of the classL described comprising a paper vbound booklet with the coversY andinner pages bound along one edge and each cover and page being free4 on the three unbound edges, ai

of light-colored translucent pliableiilm which can be im-f pressed against the surface of said backing member so that a dark line of impression shows through said sheet, anda piece of web material for binding one edge of`said impression sheet to one edge ofv said backing memberso as to form said pad, said piece'of web material having elongated strip portionswhich it over the opposite sides of the bound edge of said pad and an intermediate integrally formed loop portion which forms an open-ended stylus sheath along the bound edge'of said pad, and a hinge member for connecting the bound edge of said pad to a free edge of one of the covers of said book comprising a second piece of web material of approximatelyv the same size and shape as said irst piece with one of the elongated strip portions secured over one of the elongated strip portions of said first piece of material and with the other elongated stripportions of said second piece of. material securedto a free edge of one of the covers of said book whereby said pad may be folded into said book with said stylus sheath extending along said free edge of the book, said pad being so arranged with respect to'said book that when folded therein said stiff backing member lies toward the cover to which it is hinged.

2. The device called for in claim 1 wherein said sheath is shorter than said elongated strip portions so that at least one end of a stylusfinserted therein may project beyond one end of said sheath without projecting beyond the adjacent upper or lower edge of said booklet.

3. The device called for in claim l wherein there is". a projection on the end of the cover to which said pad is hinged the outer edge of which projection is juxtaposed" to saidsheath and provides a reinforcement for said hinge and also for said sheath when said pad is folded into said book.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,510,110 Schmidt a Sept. 30, 1924- l,555,642 Deutsch Sept. 29, 1925 1,568,548 Edelson ...'an. .5', A1926'.y 2,075,529 Leubrie Mar. 30, 1937;;- 2,475,698 Croker July 12, 1949 2,497,200 Appel Feb. 14, 1950. 2,596,890 Dechert May/.13, 1952:

FOREIGN PATENTS 328.140 Germany Oct. 23, 1920 169,916 Great Britain Oct. 13, 193.1 512,794 Great Britain Sept. 26, 1939.'l 599.769 Great Britain Mar. 19, 1948"" 700,347' GreatBritain Dec. 2, 1953 10,329 Norway Ian. 6', 1902" 

